Russia’s nuclear-powered Belgarod submarine will embark on its first sea trial carrying Poseidon Nuke-Armed Underwater Drones in June 2020.

“Belgorod is to take to the sea on June 15, 2020,” Mikhail Budnichenko, DG, Sevmash shipyard, said on Monday.

According to the official, the vessel will be pressed to service in September of next year.

Nuclear-powered, Oscar-II class Belgarod submarine

The new submarine would be able to carry six Poseidon drones, a top-secret weapon announced by President Putin last year without giving any details. A source in the defense industry earlier told Russian state media that the Poseidon would be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead with a yield of up to 2 megatonnes to destroy enemy naval bases. The drones are meant to evade underwater defences and strike strategic targets with nuclear or conventional warheads. They can travel much further than conventional torpedoes and at higher speeds and greater depths.

Built under the Project 09852, the exact operational characteristics of the special-purpose submarine have been classified. Russia’s Defense Ministry reported in November 2018 that the Belgorod sub’s crew had been formed.